Cabinet Session Postponed as Ministers Fail Again to Agree on Electricity Project
A cabinet session aimed at discussing a controversial electricity plan was postponed to September 7 after ministers failed again to agree on the allocation of $1.2 billion to Energy Minister Jebran Bassil.
President Michel Suleiman and Premier Najib Miqati held closed door talks ahead of the session at Baabda palace. Later, Ministers Bassil, Mohammed Fneish and Ali Hassan Khalil joined them.
The 10-minute meeting comes a day after the government again failed to reach agreement on the plan proposed by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun who has reiterated that he would withdraw his ministers from cabinet if the project was not endorsed.
Media reports said that Miqati held talks on Tuesday night with the ministers concerned with the issue to guarantee an agreement before the cabinet session.
However, An Nahar daily expected the ministers loyal to Suleiman, Miqati and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat to express reservations at the plan if the issue was put to vote.
Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour said during Tuesday’s session that PSP ministers don’t accept the spending of billions of dollars without a clear mechanism.
Miqati has also reportedly insisted that the project fall under the authority of the government for greater transparency.
Following Tuesday’s cabinet session, Abu Faour revealed that an agreement was reached on “the possibility of engaging the private sector in the (electricity) production process in future stages and on the technical team that will run the suggested plan.”
He noted that the cabinet has almost reached consensus on the mechanism of funding the first phase of the four-stage plan, but added that “everything will be discussed during tomorrow’s session.”
The proposed plan allocates $1.2 billion to Bassil and its costs would reach $5 billion when the four-phase project is fully implemented to build power plants that would generate 700 Megawatts of electricity.
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